Growing your own is great fun, incredibly rewarding and you’ll learn loads of new stuff all the time. It can sometimes be a little overwhelming though if you’re new to it. We often receive queries from people who have never grown their own before, but who would like to give it a try. More often than not, they have two questions…the first is “what are the easiest veg plants to grow?” and the second is “how much should I grow?”
To make things a little easier, we thought we’d put together a few top tips for anybody out there who is keen to make a start on growing their own this year, but a little unsure how to begin!
Tip #1 – Start small
Don’t try and grow every vegetable you can think of in a huge great allotment… you’ll find it much more rewarding to pick just a handful of veg plants and grow them in a smaller space so that you can give them your full attention and learn what they need in order to grow well. If you want, start off with 3 or 4 pots in the garden, or a 1m x 1m raised bed and take it from there.
Tip #2 – You don’t need green fingers
You just need good soil and a bit of time. Good soil (and you can always improve soil by adding fertiliser or compost) gives your plants the nutrients they need, and time means you can keep them watered, keep weeds down and keep pests at bay.
Tip #3 – Choose veg that you enjoy eating
It sounds obvious, but if you’re not a big fan of carrots, then don’t grow carrots simply because they’re easy to grow. If you love peas, grow peas. If you love herbs, grow herbs.
Tip #4 – Some veg are easier to grow than others
There are a few veg plants that are brilliantly reliable that will get you off to a good start.
Lettuces and leaves are easy and quick to grow – just keep slugs and caterpillars away.
Potatoes will usually give you a very satisfying crop if you remember to earth them up.
Peas and Beans are nice and easy as long as you keep them well watered and supported.
Tomatoes are good growers so if you have a warm, sunny spot and a grow bag, give them a go.
Courgettes, if you have a bit of space, just seem to keep producing more and more throughout the summer. Well worth a try!
Tip #5 – Learn by making mistakes
You’ll inevitably have a few vegetable mishaps…this does not mean you don’t have green fingers, it just means you’ve learnt a new lesson! Next time, you’ll probably remember to earth up your spuds so don’t give up.
Tip #6 – Ask questions
You can find so much information on the internet of course, but friends and family who grow their own will have their own little wealth of growing advice. Ask them and no doubt someone will be able to explain why your spinach suddenly produced flowers and seeds.
Tip #7 – Choose the right site
As a general rule, veg plants like to grow in sunny, sheltered spots so don’t go sticking them in a shady boggy patch of the garden. You’ll receive a full growing guide from us at Rocket Gardens so all the advice you need is there for you to follow.